Robert F. Kent

Robert F. Kent
65th Treasurer of Pennsylvania
In office 1957–1961
Governor	George M. Leader David L. Lawrence
Preceded by	Weldon Brinton Heyburn
Succeeded by	Grace M. Sloan
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office 1947–1956
Personal details
Born	Robert Free Kent (1911-06-26)June 26, 1911 Meadville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	October 1, 1982(1982-10-01) (aged 71) Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma mater	Allegheny College (AB), University of Pennsylvania Law School (LLB)
Occupation	Lawyer, politician

Robert Free Kent (June 26, 1911 – October 1, 1982) was an American lawyer and politician who represented Crawford County in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1947 to 1956 and served as Pennsylvania Treasurer from 1957 to 1961. Kent served in the US Marine Corps during World War II and postwar became a captain in the Marine Corps Reserve. A Republican, he ran for Pennsylvania Auditor General in 1960, losing to Democratic nominee Thomas Z. Minehart.

Early life

Kent was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania, to parents O. Clare and Marion L. (Irving) Kent. He attended local public schools and earned his BA from Allegheny College and his LLB from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Following admittance to the bar, he went into practice with his father in the firm Kent & Kent. He interrupted his practice to serve as a first lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserves in 1944–46 during World War II, serving onboard the USS Menard (1945) and USS Roi (1946) and deploying overseas to Hawaii, Okinawa, and China. Postwar, he served as a captain in the Marine Corps Reserve.

Political career

On returning home from deployment, Kent was elected as a Republican to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 1947 term and reelected for four consecutive terms thereafter, serving through the end of 1956. In the House, he chaired the Joint Legislative Committee on Tax-Exempt Real Property (1947–48) and served on the Commission on Interstate Cooperation (1953–54) and the Joint State Government Commission (1955–56). He served as Majority Whip in 1953. He was a member of the Republican Executive Committee of Crawford County and chaired the Crawford County Republican Party in 1953.

Rather than seeking reelection to the House in 1956, Kent ran for Pennsylvania State Treasurer and won the election with 52% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee James W. Knox. In 1960, nearing the end of his four-year term as treasurer, he ran for Pennsylvania Auditor General, winning 48% of the vote but losing to Democratic nominee Thomas Z. Minehart. He subsequently served on the State Employees Retirement Board and the State Public School Building Authority.

Personal life

Kent was married to Martha (Fell) Kent and had two children. He died at his suburban home in Harrisburg on October 1, 1982, at the age of 71. He was interred at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.